–Interest.

–Purpose – going from (leaving something), and going to (future goal).

–Emotional state of mind. If happy, do well. If depressed, not possible to learn.

–“Learning by waves”. Accept that every step of progress will be followed by some form of setback. Therefore, plan to do your lesser (i.e., non-language) activities during the “down times” in your day.

–Avoid other people. Be with them when it suits your language learning purposes.

–Avoid your fellow-countrymen.

–Hang out with working-class, low-educated, province-based people, those of no power and influence.

–Avoid the elites, highly-educated, capital city people, and those having power and influence.

–Avoid influential “expats” like the plague!

–“Compartmentalize your language-based friends (i.e., one for formal grammar work, one for vocabulary, one for shopping, one for casual talk, and one for writing).

–“Outsource” the writing, unless you want to do it yourself.

–Choose textbooks and methods you like, not necessarily what your teacher likes.

–Have a clear purpose as to what you want to do with your language.

–Learn alone, and away from other, similar language students. Be ruthlessly selfish.

–Beware of anyone who might pull you “into their orbit”!

–Find a safe and quiet place to study.

–Throw away your cell-phone / beeper!

–Eat at odd times, so you can avoid any contacts with people outside of your agenda.

–Buy any learning materials you like, even if there is no immediately clear use for them. Let your intuition be your guide, here.

–Ruthlessly compartmentalize your life, and any contacts.

–Use the phone for “free-talk” practice. Call those who are far away, not near (they cannot grab you).

–Date a local, or “file away” your existing friend.

–Let your language study follow your immediate interests, as those interests come and go.

–Be child-like in your learning ways, even a bit childish.

–Allow yourself a “new identity” in your language study. For each language, “be” a different person.

–Do not drag your “native self” into your new “persona”!

–Read children’s materials, but do not always speak with children, unless your listening can deal with their unique form of speech.

–Read every road-sign, the shop signs, and anything useful to you.

–Be functional, not fluent!

–Find one film, with clear speaking, and good sub-titles, and listen to it over and over again. Use the English sub-titles at first, then use the new language sub-titles, then no sub-titles – or as you please.

–Go to different native speakers for the different things you do. They should not know each other! NEVER mix your language-helpers together!

–Follow “survival” and “interests”. Grow out these areas, as you wish. Discard the rest.

–Review your own materials / books / films / vocabulary lists constantly.

–If you have language tapes, listen to them over breakfast, over and over again. You do not need to pay full attention to what you are hearing. It is “low-grade” information, which will sink in over time. Eat alone!

–Use different ways of writing down and recording words, for each of the different languages you study (e.g., use the computer for one, flash-cards for another, notebooks for another, etc.). The aim is to compartmentalize your different languages, so they will not “contaminate” and confuse each other.

–Do whatever works best for you; do not be forced into the learning paradigms of others.

–Enjoy yourself, in your new language.

–Put what you learn into daily, functional practice.

–Learn to swear, from bus / taxi drivers.

–Make friends from the under-educated classes, as they will not correct you so much, like those who are educated or refined. The “developing world” is also filled with many clever people, who somehow failed their exams and were “left behind” by society: you can work with these people, too.

–Go to many public places, where the common folk are, and listen. “Passively acquire” the language, by just “being there”.

–Do not ask, “May I practice language with you?”, but be with the people, and let the events of the day bring the language opportunities and life experiences to you, naturally. You may not get what you want in the order you want, but life will give you most of the content. In this respect, you should be like the typical, opportunistic jackal, taking what comes, but not intentionally looking for something.

–Always take what you already know, and then synthesize it into something new. (i.e., “Synthesize language; synthesize knowledge.”)

–Always link the words you learn to many other concepts, so that a “web” of conceptual links is formed. The sillier these links are, the better.

–Avoid anyone who “puts down” the way you learn language!

–If you are in a language program with foreigners from many other countries, then stay with those who do not speak your language (or your second langauge), or your, theirs. In this way, you will be forced to survive in the new language.

–Have a place where you can go, from time to time, to escape your new language, so you can re-gather your sanity.

–Visit www.nolaowai.de and read the English version of “Where there is no ‘lao wai’ : how to learn English on the go, on your own”.

–Never ask “Why?” !!! It is safer to consider the world irrational, and leave it at that, than to have to live in the tension of ambiguity, paradox, misunderstanding, and other forms of stress arising from unanswered questions. However, do not let yourself become stereotypical, prejudiced, or cynical!

–This (somewhat) dark, anti-social and cynical attitude is only a temporary shield during your language-learning days, to keep life simple. You do not need to keep it forever!

–Dream and have imaginative fantasies in your new language. Be a new person. Say, be, and do what you want, in your dream-world. Let no-one know of it!

–Help a local child, in his / her school homework.

–Do not seek to be fluent: be functional, to the level you want. However, it is then very hard to “break through” to the next level of language competence.

–Try to use your new language in every area of your daily life. Some areas of your life you will “colonize” quickly, and some slowly. Let that process go forward naturally; do not force it!

–Accept that the skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and translation will develop at different speeds. Do not interfere with this state of affairs.

–Do not let anyone tell you how you should learn. You decide!

–Absorb new words passively, as well as through lists. It is amazing how much you retain through recall, and not just by memorization.

–Have time alone, to passively absorb and digest what you have been experiencing.

–Learning / progress cannot co-exist with social conformity / being “culturally sensitive”. e.g., “Food (i.e., at dinner parties) is the enemy of true language learning.”

–“Communication” is the most important, then “grammar”, and last is “pronunciation”.

–Accept your lot as a “foreign speaker” of the language. Be your new self, therefore.

–Do not try to “monkey” mere pronunciation – have functional and effective communication!